From the Shadows
by Lady Syl
Summary: A young girl is abducted by a group of rebels. When she regains consciousness, she finds she has no idea who or where she is. She is rescued by a party of Gondorian soldiers, and she decides to join them, at least until her memory returns.
1. Lost in the dark

_**Author's note**: This is my first fan fiction, so please don't be too hard on me. If you read my story, I would really love to know what you think of it. Reviews help motivate me to keep writing. And don't hesitate to tell me if there is something can do to improve. One of the main reasons I'm doing this is to enhance my writing skills, so it would be quite helpful. Well, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it!_

She opened her eyes to the vast, black darkness. Still feeling drowsy from sleep, she shook her head a little, trying to clear her thoughts. She could not understand why it was so dark. Her initial and most obvious explanation was that night had fallen. But something did not feel quite right. Even on the darkest of nights, she should have at least been able to discern shadows of her surroundings. Yet here she could see nothing at all. Even the moon and stars had left her completely alone, refusing to shed their light from above.

She began to panic, concluding that perhaps she had gone blind. Though what rational thought she had remaining told her that the incidence of a seeing person losing their sight overnight would be quite rare, this did little to quell her fears.

Realizing she was still lying on her back on the ground, she attempted to push herself upright, only to find that her hands had been immobilized, held together tightly in front of her. She struggled against the bonds, yet it was to no avail. She merely succeeded in causing herself more pain, the rough material binding her hands cutting deeper into her tender skin.

She temporarily refrained from pulling against the restraints, instead focusing her attention on rolling over on her side. Using mostly her legs, she pushed herself over onto her left side. But before she could decide what to do next, a sharp blow to her stomach forced her to stop moving completely, as the wind was knocked out of her. She cried out, though the sound came out only as a meek whimper. It was then that she discovered that a coarse rag had been pulled across her mouth. Why hadn't she noticed it before? Now that she was conscious of the cloth, she realized it had been hindering her breathing.

A harsh voice above her warned, "Quit your squirming! Else you'll wish you'd never been born". But the pain was too much; she doubled over, curling into a fetal position. Though she could not prevent herself from trembling, she forced herself to stay under control, and remain as still as possible. This was quite a difficult feat, considering that she could nearly feel the hot breath of the dark figure towering above her, and smell the foul odor she knew could come from no other source.

It was not until she was certain that she heard the footsteps receding that she finally felt she could breathe again. Hopefully her captor would not return soon, allowing her sometime to think things over. She desperately tried to recall what had happened previously, to land her in this horrible situation, hoping to find some hint as to how she could escape. Yet she found she had no recollection of it, and try as she might, she could make nothing of the hazy words and images in her head.

She did not even have any idea of how many had taken her hostage, or why. She could not remember doing anything that would give another a reason to harm her. But then again, she could not remember much of anything, so that was of little help. Perhaps she was a prisoner of war. What if she was now in the midst of an entire army? Even if she did manage to free herself from the binds, how would she ever be able to fight them all?

This was not helping at all; on the contrary, it was causing her to panic even more. Anyway, her fears were groundless; perhaps the man whose voice she had heard was the only one guarding her. Though she desperately hoped it was so, she knew in her heart that in these times, only a fool would travel alone. Hence it was highly likely that at least one other person was accompanying him. Besides, if she was of enough importance to capture, they would not risk her escaping or being taken by another.

If only she could see again, she thought helplessly. She had not realized until now just how much she relied on her eyes. What could she possibly accomplish if she was in absolute darkness? But after all, her feelings were quite normal. Nearly everyone behaved in a similar manner: never fully appreciating one's blessings until they were taken away. She recalled once hearing that when one goes blind, the remaining senses are amplified. Yet the only senses she had left that might be of use were her senses of smell and hearing.

She pondered on this for a moment, when suddenly, she had an idea. She could listen carefully for the sounds around her. Perhaps she could try to determine from which direction the footsteps were coming from. That way, she could tell if someone was approaching her; and in addition, she could attempt to find out the number of her captors. For now however, she could no longer think. The dull, persistent throbbing at the back of her head was obstructing her thought process. She needed to rest. She rolled back over on her back, and nearly immediately drifted off to sleep.


	2. A Glimmer of Hope

**Author's Note: **Thank you for your reviews! I've finished the next chapter. It's quite a bit longer than the first one, so I hope you enjoy it. Please tell me what you think...

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She was being shaken roughly back and forth. Wonderful, she thought disconcertedly, as she began to regain consciousness; this is precisely what I need to make things even worse: an earthquake. But as the sleep began leaving her, she realized a strong grip was yanking at her shoulder.

"Wake up, you", a voice demanded hoarsely"I haven't got time to be wasting with you". She stirred, and opened her mouth to speak; but the sound was muffled by the cloth across her face. It was sufficient however, for the man who was still holding her shoulder, to realize she had finally awakened. He released her, and she felt the warmth flow back into the arm.

"Now, you listen good", he warned in a low, threatening tone. "I'll be taking these things off so you can eat, but only for a few minutes. I don't expect the boss would be too pleased if we end up bringing him a corpse". He bent closer to her"But if you try anything at all, I'm sure he won't mind if I tell we needed to teach you some respect. He never said he wanted you in one piece. Do you catch my meaning"

She nodded quickly, hoping he would realize that she was not planning an escape attempt, at least not yet. Seeming satisfied that he had frightened her enough; he leaned down over her, holding a length of rope. He placed the rope horizontally across the ground. He then proceeded to grab both her legs, placing them together on top of the rope. He pulled it around her ankles, tying it tightly. She did not make a sound, remaining limp as doll, allowing him to maneuver her as he pleased.

Suddenly, she felt him shove her over with such force she flipped over completely onto her front side. To her great relief, she realized he was untying the knots keeping the rags tightly in place. Before she even had the opportunity to recover however, the material was wrenched from beneath her, landing her face down in the dirt. The soft soil found its way into her mouth and nose, and she nearly gagged. Nevertheless, she was comforted by the feel of the cool earth on her burning face, especially after having to endure the gag for such a long period of time.

She hardly had the chance to catch her breath before she was turned over once again. She was temporarily blinded by the brilliant light that was such a contrast to the darkness in which she had been entrenched for so long. Once the bright spots hindering her vision began to fade, her eyes were finally able to focus. For the first time, she looked up into the face of her captor. Though just a few moments ago, she would never have thought it possible, nearly immediately after she had her vision back, she wished she had been blindfolded again. The sight of the horrid face leering down at her was simply too much to bear. This was no man… it was a monster!

Though many of his facial features were hidden among the patches of dark, scraggly hair, she could make out a vicious scar running the entire length of his face, stopping shortly above his upper lip. She could tell it was an old wound, however. What now remained was a grotesque, white mark, approximately an inch or so in diameter, the disfigured, reddish scar tissue puckering around the wound.

He did not appreciate her scrutiny. "What're you starin' at" he demanded. In fact, he looked so irritated, that she feared he would draw back his hand at any moment to slap her. She lowered her gaze quickly, staring at the immense trees looming over them. But she had yet another problem. It was extremely difficult to control the nausea she felt rising in her as soon as he opened his mouth. She nearly retched as the stench of his rancid breath entered her nostrils. What had this man been feeding on, she wondered in disgust. It also looked as if his yellow-stained, decaying teeth could fall out at any moment. I hope he loses one of them in his sleep, she prayed silently. Perhaps he will choke to death. How was he able to chew anything anyway, with such significant gaps between each tooth?

He glared at her, and then straightened up. She managed to fight down her repulsion until he turned around and sauntered away. Oh, how wonderful it felt to be able to breathe fresh air again without that disgusting smell…. Her eyes followed him, as he bent over a small fire. Though the fiery haze, she realized with a jolt that there were a number of others accompanying him. From her position, she could count at least five of them, all encircling the fire, and covered in dark, heavy cloaks. She could not make out the precise details of their faces from such a distance, but she could tell at least, that none were as horrific-looking as the man who had threatened her.

With dread, she saw that this very man was returning once again. But to her surprise, this time, he had not come to terrorize her. Without even coming all the way over to her, he tossed a crust of bread in her direction. Due to the binds that were still around her wrists, she was unable to react with sufficient speed. As a result, the food landed in the dirt in front of her. She had great difficulty in attempting to retrieve it; but, maneuvering her hands as a unit, she managed to finally pick the bread up from the ground. She lifted it to her face, blowing on it gently, trying to remove the dirt particles that had collected on its surface. A little puff of dust rose from it, and satisfied that she had done the best that could be done; she bit into the meager rationing.

The bread was hard and stale, unlike anything she had been used to, but seeing as she had no other choice, she was forced to consume it. Though lacking in flavor, it was sustenance nonetheless, and it eased the rumbling in her stomach. She took great care, not letting the crumbs fall to the ground. Who knew when they would find the time to feed her again? When she had completed her small meal, she looked back in the direction of the fire, hoping she might be allowed at little more. But they appeared to be paying little attention to her, so she decided to look around a bit, and attempt to obtain an understanding of where she was.

She continued examining her captors. Oddly enough, nearly all of them were fair-haired. Were they all relatives of one another? If they were all siblings, she certainly felt sorry for the woman who had borne so many children. In any case, she told herself, it is highly unlikely that an entire family was conniving against her. It was more probable that they were all from one land. But that still did not explain what they could possibly want with her.

She could tell they were discussing something serious, by manner in which they bent their heads together conspiratorially, whispering fervently. If only I could hear what they were saying, she thought. Then I might have some idea what they want. But unfortunately, they were speaking softly, and she was much too far away to hear more than a murmur, which was not enough for her to differentiate words. There was the possibility of trying to move closer, but she thought better of it, deciding she was in no position to risk them noticing her.

Instead, she settled on examining her surroundings, while she still had the chance. As far as she could tell, she was in the midst of a massive forest. She strained her eyes, trying to see an end to it, but the trees surrounded her from every direction. Her heart dropped, as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. Even if she did manage to escape, she would be completely lost. With no food, water, or shelter, she would be doomed; and eventually either die of starvation or fall prey to some wild beast.

As much as she disliked the idea, she had to admit that she might be better off under the supervision of these men. At least they were carrying weapons. Armless, she would be an easy victim for anyone who crossed her path. On the other hand, she still had no idea what these men had planned for her. For all she knew, it might be far worse than having to cope with the wilderness alone. After all, they had not exactly been kind to her. The scar-faced man, whom she assumed to be their leader, had threatened and struck her. She did not yet know how far he was willing to go.

If she could just get these binds off her ankles, she might have a chance. She was a fair runner. But the problem of food still remained. She thought of saving a small portion from every serving, in order to accumulate enough to last her some time until she could find someone to help her. But she had no place to store it. From the makeshift look of the camp, she could tell these people did not intend to linger here long. Besides, judging by the scant ration they had given her for breakfast, there would not be much she could put aside. She would end up starving even before she escaped.

She was at a loss. What was the most appropriate thing to do? It seemed she would be in grave danger no matter what she did. And what should she do for the moment: simply sit here waiting for them to focus their attention back on her? Yet, there did not appear to be much else she could do. She sat there contemplating the situation, until she saw the men begin to stand up, stretching. One of them began walking towards her. She said nothing, but stared him defiantly in the face. This man, unlike his leader, had long dark-blonde hair tied behind his back. His face was nowhere near as hideous as the man she encountered. In fact, he would even be remotely handsome, had it not been for the sneer he was wearing.

"It's best that we be off", he told her, as he leaned down in front of her. She saw that he had picked up the rag that lay in the dirt to her left. "I need to put this back on, miss", he said, holding it up. "But I won't cover your mouth if you promise not to make a sound. I don't suppose it would do you any good screaming here anyway, except perhaps to get boss angry at you". He walked behind her to retie the blindfold. This man did not seem as awful as the other one; at least he didn't smell as bad. Nevertheless, she had to fight down her inclination to bite the hand that came so close to her face. But she knew that would no good, especially since she felt this man had the potential to be kind to her.

She was enveloped in darkness once again. She felt him pick her up easily, and swing her over his back. The wind was knocked out of her as she landed on his hard shoulder. It felt strange to have him carry her in such a way, particularly since she could no longer see. She hoped he would not keep her upside down this way for long; she already felt the blood rushing to her head.

Fortunately, she did not have to bear it for long, as she felt him lift her up and seat her sideways on top of something. She felt it move beneath her, and she realized quickly that she must have placed her on a horse. The man swung himself onto the creature, positioning himself behind her. He reached around her, grabbing hold of the reins. She was glad he had his arm against her back; otherwise she feared would slide off. Her ankles were still bound, so she was forced to sit with both her feet dangling from the horse's side. The man muttered a quick word to the horse, and they were off.


End file.
